Tomas got a contract to sign? Cool. Hey, wait. Tomas is a character in the sequel to my scifi novel, Firewatcher. How is he getting a contract? Has AI gone crazy? Ah. Oh. Typo. Proof that something real was happening that involved a real human. The contract was for me, and is part of a nice soft cascade of good news. Maybe this ‘be patient’ thing is finally decided that sooner is better than later, and now is better than sooner. My finances improve in intriguing ways.

Last week’s blog post hinted at the good news. I received an unsolicited job offer, and I accepted it. Hence, the contract. A local real estate brokerage with a well-established regional presence has hired me to help write about where I live, Whidbey Island. As with any new job there are lots of unknowns, like how they prefer to be referenced and how much I can say about what I’ll be doing. One thing that intrigues me is that they are producing something I have been interested in for a long time, but didn’t have the resources to complete practically. Stay tuned (as always).

Another email came in at the same time. Again, unsolicited. In 2016 I wrote a post about one of my Fresh Ideas. Someone I do not know somehow found my idea for Dockside Tidal Power. Check the Comments section for last week’s post. Evidently, “I wanted you to know that your inspiration has reached “go for it” status…” Cool. One of the reasons I started my Fresh Idea series was my opinion that some ideas should pursued rather than be sequestered. In the American ideal I should pursue each of my inventions. It is The American Way! In real America, patenting an invention is: 1) not guaranteed to be successful or useful, 2) can cost thousands of dollars to make sure it isn’t infringing on another patent, 3) can cost as much as a car or a house to prove, 4) can cost even more to market and sell, and 5) can take decades. Our civilization and the planet’s climate need cleaner power now, not at the convenience of my finances and my schedule. I hope they succeed; and I hope I see financial and possibly practical benefits, too. I wonder if my neighborhood’s marina could power my neighborhood during our too-frequent outages.

Rewind a day or two and see me sitting in the library. I was checking emails for that contract when a friend happened to see me. By the end of that unsolicited conversation they’d asked me to help them with one of their writing and marketing projects. I’ve been so busy for the last few years that I have forgotten to mention – market – my services. So, hey, allow me to let them inspire me to mention to you that I am also a business consultant working with creative people, like artists and inventors and entrepreneurs. 

The other reason I was in the library was because I am finally going to write that screenplay based on a true story about the era of sailing ships and India. A murder is involved. So is a child’s wonder. So are harsh lessons and someone’s passage through adolescence. Producing this screenplay has been on my To-Do List, the to-do list that is In Caps, for decades. Two weeks ago (Rushed Writing During A SciFi Expo) I was at a scifi expo because of my scifi book, Firewatcher; but found myself talking to someone ‘in the biz’ who was enthused with the story – and even described how I could simplify the production and make the movie more affordable and more likely to happen. 

Keep in mind, this is all happening within the last few weeks.

Skip topics and get real. A month ago I climbed my ladder to my roof. After each 4th of July I check to see if there was any damage from the, um, unprofessional fireworks. No problem. Yay! But. Oops. On an expanse of dirty white roof was a solid black square, about one square foot. It was noticeable. I’ll spare you the homeowner details. But, that had to be painted to match the painted part. OK. Go to the hardware store – and learn that they don’t sell roof paint in pints, only gallons. Also learn about the inflation in paint prices. Sigh. OK. Buy a lot of paint for a tiny job, and then paint other things to use up an entire gallon of paint. Well, while painting that I was also painting the deck, the stairs, the… The best way to use up paint is to paint things. This morning was my time to use up the rest on soffit and fascia, a utility access cover, and oh why not finish by painting the woodshed. And then a light rain came. Done in time without a plan, and with an excuse to take a break.

Plans? Ha!

Patience meets serendipity meets a chaotic world.

My house looks crisper and cleaner. (I’ll finish painting the rest of the roof before autumn, I hope.) My finances are shifting (hopefully to something more sustainable and comfortable.) 

Me. Me. Me. But then, as I understand it, when I write about finances I have to make it about not-about-anyone-else. My apologies. I appreciate your tolerance.

I don’t know if this is a blip in my life or if long-term efforts are finally producing significant, positive, sustainable results. 

Most lives can be planned for, or at least planning personal finances sustains many businesses in the finance industry. But every life is not lived from the center of a bell-curve. There is no average person. If someone was publicly declared ‘average’, they’d instantly be uncommon. One on side of the bell-curve are people with a surplus of good luck. One the other side of the bell-curve are people with a surplus of bad luck. And those positions can change in either direction. I’ve experienced both and witnessed an amazing variety of realities. Nothing is certain. Nothing is guaranteed. Don’t be surprised if plans don’t go according to plan. Don’t be surprised if patience takes its time without regard to immediate requirements. And sometimes plans and patience are ignored by unsolicited influences that may appreciate years, decades, of efforts and experiences.

Speaking of which, can I also interest you in anything I’ve produced over the years? Some books, perhaps? America and bicycling, walking Scotland, hiking and skiing the Cascades? Some AI-inspired scifi, perhaps? Or how about photos of Whidbey Island’s natural shoreline? Available as prints, cards and even as books. But like many people I know, I’ve patiently been producing views of the world for decades. Who knows which, if any, people will care about? 

As a population, we’ve been working on a myriad of issues for centuries. Maybe with a bit of patience something positive, significant, and sustainable will arrive unsolicited but welcome. Sooner is better than later, and now can be better than sooner.

In the meantime, I think I’ll take a break for the evening. I want to be ready for what happens next.